Mechanized gum base pan unloader

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a machine for automatically unloading chewing gum base materials from cooling pans or trays. A carriage is indexed vertically into a pit in the factory floor and pans supported at their upper edges by flanges in the carriage have their undersides successively engaged by a chain conveyor supported on a table in the pit so that the pans are raised and propelled laterally by the conveyor out of the carriage. The pans are inverted, lifted and vibrated to separate the gum base from the pans. The pans are then coated with a release agent, reinverted and reloaded into the carriage as it moves upwardly out of the pit. The carriage is horizontally indexed so that several banks of pans may be unloaded, emptied and reloaded.

llnited States Phillips et al.

1451 ec. i, i973 [54] MECHANIZED GlUlVll BASE PAN UNLADER [73] Assignee: L. A. Dreyfus Company, South- Plaineld, NJ.

[22] Filed: Aug. 17, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 172,451

Nicoletti 214/308 2,640,444 Reget 214/31 l Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner- Lawrence 1. Oresky Attorney-LeBlanc & Shur [57] ABSTRACT Disclosed is a machine for automatically unloading chewing gum base materials from cooling pans or trays. A carriage is indexed vertically into a pit in the factory floor and pans supported at their upper edges by flanges in the carriage have their undersides successively engaged by a chain conveyor supported on a table in the pit so that the pans are raised and propelled laterally by the conveyor out of the carriage. The pans are inverted, lifted and vibrated to separate the gum base from the pans. The pans are then coated with a release agent, reinverted and reloaded into the carriage as it moves upwardly out of the pit. The carriagel is horizontally indexed so that several banks of pans may be unloaded, emptied and reloaded.

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ATTORNEYS. 

1. A pan unloader comprising an elevator for supporting a plurality of pans to be emptied, said pans being arranged in vertically spaced levels in said elevator, a conveyor beneath said elevator and adapted to pass into said elevator when said elevator is lowered to engage and remove the loaded pans through one side of the elevator, means adjacent said conveyor for receiving the pans discharged from said conveyor and emptying the same, means for conveying the empty pans back to a feeding station located on another side of said elevator relative to said one side thereof, and means at said feeding station to feed said empty pans into said elevator.
 2. A pan unloader according to claim 1 including means adjacent said conveyor for inverting loaded pans discharged from said conveyor and elevator.
 3. A pan unloader according to claim 1, a carriage adapted to carry a plurality of pans in said vertically spaced levels, drive means coupled to said elevator, and vertical indexing means coupled to said drive means for lowering said elevator in steps whereby said conveyor removes the vertically spaced pans carried by said carriage in sequence from the lower to the upper levels.
 4. A pan unloader according to claim 3 wherein said vertical indexing means includes means for raising said elevator in corresponding steps.
 5. A pan unloader acCording to claim 4 wherein said vertical indexing means comprises a plurality of limit switches with actuators lying in the path of movement of a portion of said elevator.
 6. A pan unloader comprising an elevator, means on said elevator for supporting a carriage loaded with pans to be emptied, a conveyor beneath said elevator and adapted to engage and remove pans from said carriage as said elevator is lowered, a first roll-over adjacent one end of said conveyor for receiving and inverting pans from said conveyor, means adjacent said first roll-over for emptying inverted pans, and a second roll-over adjacent the other end of said conveyor for reinverting empty pans and passing them back onto said conveyor for reloading on said carriage as said elevator is raised.
 7. A pan unloader according to claim 6 including conveying means above said elevator, a first lift adjacent said first roll-over for lifting pans from said first roll-over to said conveying means, and a second lift adjacent said second roll-over for lowering pans from said conveying means to said second roll-over.
 8. A pan unloader according to claim 7 wherein said first and second lifts both include conveyor belts.
 9. A pan unloader according to claim 8 wherein the conveyor belts on said lifts are reversible in direction.
 10. A pan unloader according to claim 9 including a gum base discharge conveyor adjacent said first lift.
 11. A pan unloader according to claim 10 including a plurality of hooks on said first lift overlying the lift belt, and means coupled to said hooks for raising and lowering them relative to the belt on said first lift.
 12. A pan unloader comprising a floor with a pit, an elevator vertically movable into and out of said pit, a pan carriage support rail on said elevator, horizontal indexing means on said elevator for indexing a carriage on said rail in horizontal steps relative to said elevator, vertical indexing means coupled to said elevator for moving said elevator in vertical steps into and out of said pit, a conveyor above said pit and adapted to be received in said elevator as said elevator is lowered into said pit, first conveyor means adjacent one end of said conveyor for receiving pans from said conveyor, second conveyor means adjacent the other end of said conveyor for supplying pans to said conveyor, and means for emptying the pans between said first and second conveyor means.
 13. A pan unloader according to claim 12 wherein said first and second conveyor means each include pan inverters.
 14. A pan unloader according to claim 12 wherein said conveyor comprises a chain conveyor, and a pedestal in said pit supporting said conveyor.
 15. A pan unloader according to claim 12 wherein said horizontal indexing means comprises a carriage latch and screw mounted on said elevator, and a plurality of limit switches on said elevator with actuators lying in the path of movement of said carriage latch.
 16. A pan unloader according to claim 12 wherein said vertical indexing means comprises a drive motor in said pit, a plurality of belts coupling said motor to said elevator, and a plurality of limit switches in said pit with actuators lying in the path of movement of said elevator.
 17. A pan unloader according to claim 12 including a pan carriage depend from said rail in said elevator, and a plurality of pans supported in said carriage by flanges along two upper edges of each pan.
 18. A pan unloader according to claim 17 wherein said pans are in three columns, each column comprising eight pairs of pans.
 19. A pan unloader according to claim 18 wherein said pans are gum base cooling pans.
 20. A pan unloader according to claim 1 including an overhead carriage rail mounted on said elevator, a carriage mounted for movement along said rail and adapted to carry a plurality of pans, and horizontal indexing means on said elevator for indexing said carriage along said rail for aligning the pans carried thereby with said conveyor.
 21. A pan unlOader comprising an elevator for supporting pans to be emptied, a conveyor beneath said elevator and adapted to pass into said elevator when said elevator is lowered to engage and remove the loaded pans from the elevator, means adjacent said conveyor for receiving the pans discharged from said conveyor and emptying the same, means adjacent said conveyor for feeding empty pans back onto said conveyor, means for conveying the empty pans from said receiving means to said feeding means, means adjacent said conveyor and elevator for inverting loaded pans discharged from said conveyor, means adjacent said conveyor and elevator for inverting loaded pan discharged from said conveyor, and a second inverter adjacent said conveyor and elevator for reinverting the pans after they have been emptied.
 22. A pan unloader comprising an elevator for supporting pans to be emptied, a conveyor beneath said elevator and adapted to pass into said elevator when said elevator is lowered to engage and remove the loaded pans from the elevator, means adjacent said conveyor for receiving the pans discharged from said conveyor and emptying the same, means adjacent said conveyor for feeding empty pans back onto said conveyor, mean for conveying the empty pans from said receiving means to said feeding means, an overhead carriage rail mounted on said elevator, an overhead carriage rail mounted on said elevator, a carriage mounted for movement along said rail and adapted to carry a plurality of pans, and horizontal indexing means on said elevator for indexing said carriage along said rail for aligning the pans carried thereby with said conveyor, said horizontal indexing means comprising a latch for engaging a carriage supported on said rail, and a rotatable screw for moving said latch parallel to said rail. 